Matthew Dear – Bad Ones (2017)

Matthew Dear’s second single of the summer is a collaboration with longtime friends Tegan and Sara. For years his work has suggested a populist impulse buried within, and here, in the presence of pop prestige, Dear’s sweetest side shines through.

Buoyant and blithe, “Bad Ones” presents flirtation as mischief, and honesty as power. Lyrics convey the paralysis of insecurity and, as Sara puts it, “the relief in finding someone who loves the more complicated parts of you.”
The creative relationship between the Quin sisters and Dear began in 2013, when they expressed mutual admiration by email. This led to connecting for a remix project as well as a joint cover of Tears For Fears’ 1983 new wave classic “Pale Shelter.” Recently, when settling into new recordings, Dear happened upon a loop that brought the duo to mind. Within a day Tegan and Sara sent back a verse and chorus.

“The process was open and free,” adds Dear, who for the next month evolved the song from demo to fully-fledged composition. “Often times, we need to get out of our own way to let the magic happen, and this song is a bold reminder of that.”